


What's the Worst That Could Happen

by artthoubaeloki



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batjokes Week 2020, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:22:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28283139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artthoubaeloki/pseuds/artthoubaeloki
Summary: Bruce Wayne decides to enter into a relationship with the joker, claiming it's just for research, letting him gain information he couldn't as the batman. But can he really go undercover like that with the joker? will he catch feelings? or with the joker figure out what's happening?What's the worst that could happen?
Relationships: Joker (DCU)/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	What's the Worst That Could Happen

Bruce Wayne sat at the counter of some seedy bar in Gotham. The type of bar where the wood had a permanent film and the ceiling was caked in tar from the thousands of cigarettes, cigars, joints, and anything else you could smoke that had been lit day after day. He didn’t mean to be here, he wasn’t even drinking. He was just… bored. After hours of patrol, there wasn’t one crime that had taken place, it had been like this three nights in a row, and in Gotham that was unheard of. He wasn’t complaining but he knew whatever ease the city was having wouldn’t last long, something big was going to happen. He just didn’t know what.

For now, he just nursed the ginger ale he had ordered and helped himself to the free peanuts. Maybe hanging around here he could find out some information that could help him figure out what was going down. This wasn’t just any seedy bar in Gotham, this was the bar to the lowest scum Gotham had to offer, every goon and henchmen drank here along with the occasional big bad who would make an appearance. Now that he thinks about it, this was the same bar he tracked Joker down to when Bruce was trying to track down a missing girl. He’s probably been in this bar dozens of times, but this was the first as Bruce Wayne.

Just when he was about to get up the small bell over the entrance was set off as the door was open, letting in the cool winter air of a Gotham December. Well speak of the devil, Bruce looked up to see no other than the clown prince of crime himself. It was as if the air in the room stood still for a moment, the Joker knew everyone in that bar knew exactly who he was. Bruce couldn’t help study him for a moment, he wasn’t wearing his signature purple suit, instead, he donned a pair of white trousers and a pink button-up with the sleeves rolled up, pulled together with suspenders and a white fedora. Bruce had to admit, Joker might have been a psycho criminal but the man certainly had style. 

To the billionaire’s dismay, the clown took a seat next to him, ordering himself some fruity drink that had some fantastical name Bruce didn’t catch. He tried to mind his business, sipping his ginger ale before motioning to the bartender that he was ready for his check.

“I didn’t scare you off did I?” 

The Joker finally spoke before he put the straw of the drink to his lips and took a sip.

“No”

Bruce shook his head, glancing over at the man next to him.

“Hmm I usually scare people off… so what is a pretty boy like you doing in a dump like this?”

Bruce let a small chuckle leave his lips, like he said, he was bored. Might as well try and have a little fun.

“I could ask you the same thing”

The Joker cracked a small smile, not like his usual manic one but one that almost looked like a genuine smile.

“...well if I didn’t scare you off, could I buy you a drink?”

“I don’t drink.”

Joker looked down seeing Bruce’s ginger ale rolling his eyes a bit.

“Maybe something more fun like... oh! A Shirley temple! That would add a little lively flair to your sad excuse of a non-alcoholic beverage”

The clown hummed glancing over at the bartender as if he would do exactly what he wanted him to, and to Bruce’s astonishment, he did. The bartender made Bruce a Shirley temple, even adding a cherry and a little purple umbrella that made Jokers smile widen. When it was placed in front of the billionaire he looked down at it not sure what to think.

“... thank you..”

Bruce finally spoke after a moment before turning his gaze over to the man beside him.

“My pleasure, Bruce”

Bruce’s brow raised, did joker just say his name? How? He never told him his name?

“You know my--?”

The Joker gave him a rather unimpressed look and rested his elbow back against the back of the bar stool

“I may be locked up in Arkham a lot but I don’t live under a rock. I know the face of Gotham royalty anywhere. Plus there’s a new billboard for the new Wayne phone of 5th, that you look very handsome on may I add” 

Bruce chuckled softly, if the joker squinted he might have been able to see a blush spread across the billionaire's cheeks. 

“Oof, I forgot that I modeled for that… felt like a fever dream”

Bruce paused a moment, he honestly pushed aside most of the things he did as Bruce Wayne. The façade he put on as the billionaire, playboy, infamous son of Gotham was more a mask than the cape and cowl. That wasn’t who he was but that was the role he was expected to play. So he did. He put on a show for the world to see, a performance of a person no one would expect to be Batman. 

Bruce was caught up in his thoughts that he almost forgot who he was talking to. He was talking to the Joker. His arch-nemesis… when did his arch-nemesis become… cute? Bruce looked at him, in this light, this setting, this… normalcy, it was as if he was a completely different person. His green hair that was usually gelled back was relaxed with a natural curl that in another life Bruce would love to comb his fingers through it… 

He was quickly jolted back to reality when the clown spoked again.

“Well it’s made an appearance in plenty of my dreams that's for sure”

The brunette didn’t know how to respond to that, was that a compliment? That was a compliment, right? His face must have been red with a blush -- blush? The batman was blushing? No Bruce Wayne is blushing, wait-- suave, cool, charming, playboy was BLUSHING?? The Joker made him blush? What was this opposite day? This isn't supposed to happen. 

The Joker must have been the slight panic on Bruce’s face because he let out a laugh. The clown prince of crime wasn’t going to give away the fact that his apartment had a window that faced the billboard head-on. He saw that face every day, and for some reason, he wasn’t annoyed by it, he didn’t want to blow it up or anything like that. He actually enjoyed the view, after a long day he would come home to McDreamy, and he wasn’t complaining.

“... Bruce, would you want to go out to dinner with me? We can go somewhere… decently public if you’re worried about anything”

That caught Bruce even more off guard. Did the Joker just ask him out? Was he being serious? Was he actually concerned with someone else's feelings? WHAT IS GOING ON!? Was he having a gay panic moment? Oh most definitely. 

He had to pull himself together, he’s Bruce freakin' Wayne, he's no chump. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a sip of his drink before he answered the question, the air felt tense as if everything was in a long-anticipated silence, awaiting a response.

“... as long as there are no tricks and the food is good…. I don’t see why not”

He shrugged, struggling to try playing it cool. In all honesty, he was freaking the fuck out. He had just accepted a date with the joker. AND HE WAS EXCITED. Seriously, what is going on? He had been on hundreds of dates. Why is he so hyped up about this one? Well, maybe it was because it was going to be with no other than the joker. He was going on a date with his greatest enemy. He had to think of a way to justify it…  
Ok ok, this is just for intel. He would get a better view of the joker as an outside source and be able to have a better understanding of how the make upped manic functions on a level he would never be able to as the Batman. Yeah, that would work. That’s a great plan. Date Joker for intel. What’s the worst that could happen? He catches feelings or something? Unlikely. He can’t even open up to the people that are closest to him; he's not going to open up to the joker…

The red lips of the joker curled up into an excited smile when the billionaire accepted his invitation to dinner. He downed the rest of his drink and nodded.

“Excellent! Amazing, glad you accepted. Would have been really awkward if you hadn’t”

He laughed as he looked over at Bruce as he stood up.

“There's this amazing little Italian joint I know. One of the only ones not owned by a crime boss, so it's great!”

The clown said cheerfully. It surprised Bruce for a moment before he stood up as well.

“Lead the way”

Bruce said and pulled his jacket on as he walked out of the bar with the joker.

What's the worst that could happen?

**Author's Note:**

> happy Batjokes secret Santa :)


End file.
